With landlines being switched off permanently by the end of 2025, businesses and households across the UK are looking to digital phone technology like VoIP to fill the gap.
According to figures from Openreach, around 70% of UK businesses are still using landlines within their company with over 40% still unaware of BT’s impending Big Switch Off deadline.
At the end of 2025, businesses will no longer be able to use landlines as all UK phone lines from the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to a fully digital network. In fact, from next month (September 2023) no new landlines will be sold - known as the BT stop-sell.
Although BT announced the Big Switch Off in 2015, many small businesses still risk being left behind when landlines no longer work. Now is the ideal time to start shopping around for a new digital phone provider.
How do I find a VoIP company?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It’s basically a type of phone system that uses an internet connection to make and receive calls, instead of old style copper landlines.
All you need is fast, stable (preferably fibre) broadband and a VoIP service provider to make and receive calls. You don’t even necessarily need a VoIP handset, as you can access your system remotely via your laptop, smartphone or tablet. This is ideal for teams working in multiple locations.
There are many different VoIP providers out there, all offering various different systems with different features and different prices. A quick google will show you many names you may or may not recognise. At bOnline we specialise entirely in small and micro businesses and sole traders, whereas other companies will focus more on residential VoIP systems or large corporations for instance.
This is where you really need to do your homework and shop around. For example, bOnline VoIP phone packages come with a huge range of time-saving, money-saving business features, including call divert, voicemail, call analytics data, video calling, hold music and much more. We also pride ourselves on the fact that we set everything up for you remotely within 24-48 hours with no down time. So we don’t need to come to your workplace, and there’s no “techie” knowledge needed by you either.
bOnline also offers a 7-day free trial of our VoIP system which is a great way to try out all the features without the commitment.
An experienced, trusted VoIP provider (like us!) can handle your switch to VoIP quickly and easily. All you need to do is log in and away you go.
While you’re doing your research into what is the best provider for small businesses, why not take a look through our recent articles to help:
- What is a VoIP phone - everything you need to know
- Cloud Telephony: What do small business owners need to know?
- No more new landlines from September: Is your business ready?
